MAKING THE MOST OF ZUCCHINIS
Zucchini are abundant — and versatile in the kitchen
You don’t have to be a carb-free, clean-eating owner of a spiraliser to love zucchini. Certainly zucchini’s new-found status as a low-cal “pasta” has upped the status of this tender cucurbit, but let’s face it — what’s not to love about a vegetable that cooks in five minutes, is delicious raw, and has chameleon-like qualities enabling it to morph easily from soups, salads and fritters to purees, tender vegetable stews and crispy chips?
For the gardener, zucchini are one of the most satisfying crops to grow. Plant outdoors (they don’t like pots) in the spring when all danger of frost has passed, ensuring that you compost well and water regularly. Before you know it you’ll be struggling to keep up with the harvest. But as any grower will tell you, zucchini grow like triffids and if you don’t get out to check your plants every few days, it’s game over — your tender fingerlings will have turned into giant, tasteless, watery marrows. Sometimes they grow so fast they get big but are still tender. I always check whether I can break the skin with my fingernail easily — if I can then the zucchinis are still good to cook as you would a smaller specimen.
Lately I have been making potfuls of that classic French stew, ratatouille, as a way to deal with my overabundant supply. I just finely chop eggplant, onions, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. Heat a good glug of oil in a pot and fry off the eggplant first until it releases moisture and is tender and golden, transfer this to a plate and then cook the onions and garlic gently until they are meltingly tender. Throw in a good dollop of tomato paste and all the rest of the veg, add the browned eggplants to the pot, give it a good season, cover and let the whole things simmer for 15-20 minutes until its tender and stewy. I like to add a big handful of chopped herbs and a teaspoon or two of sherry vinegar at the end (vinegar is always a good balancer). It makes a great partner to roast and grilled meats, as well as a sauce for pasta and couscous.
My friend and fellow cook Tiffany makes a terrific pasta sauce with little more than zucchinis, garlic, olive oil and parmesan. It’s so delicious you can’t believe it could be so simple. The trick is to gently cook the chopped zucchinis in a covered pot with lots of garlic, a big glug of olive oil, a good splash of water, and some salt and pepper. Cook until they are completely collapsed — when you stir, the mixture should be saucy. And that’s it! Just like that you have your sauce ready to toss through cooked pasta with a grating of parmesan. You could fancy it up with lemon zest, chilli, pine nuts, basil, etc but actually it doesn’t need it. And at this time of year it’s cheap as chips.